Friends of Lye Creek Prairie Burn

06/13/2026

Hey all! I found a way to save some $ on replacement glass oriole feeder cups, purchase votive candle holders! They are the same dang thing! I bought these through Amazon, I purchased a box of 12 of the “like new” ones for 9.99! They wanted 12.99 for 2 of the “oriole replacement cups”! That is crazy!!!

Here’s the link if interested
https://a.co/d/0cv7aSfY

06/13/2026

! Look what I caught on the wetlands cam, this adorable Wood Duck family! Mom, Dad and 8 ducklings. Born and raised at the Lye Creek Prairie Burn!

06/06/2026

Save our grasslands!

Help protect grassland birds this summer!

Grassland bird populations are facing the steepest decline of any bird group in North America. It’s been shown that agricultural and lawn care practices directly affect the success of ground-nesting species like bobwhites, ring-necked pheasants, Eastern meadowlarks, and loggerhead shrikes. Luckily, the following small changes can be made to help protect those nests in the summer months:

• Raise mower blades to 8 inches or higher
• Delay haying until mid‑July (peak nesting is Apr 1–Aug 1)
• Leave unmowed strips, blocks, and/or corridors of high vegetation for their safe travel. Mow from the inside out so wildlife can escape.
• Add a flushing bar. This is a simple device added to a tractor that pushes birds (and fawns) out of an area being mowed.

These beloved bird species depend on grasslands to nest and rear their young. This is why Indiana DNR strives to protect grassland habitats through the Grassland for Gamebirds and Songbirds initiative. We hope you’ll join the efforts! Learn more here: https://ow.ly/MtiP50Z7ool

Photo by Justin Hill

06/05/2026

Meet the Willow Flycatcher! This small olive-gray songbird may not look flashy, but its distinctive "fitz-bew!" call gives it away. Willow Flycatchers prefer shrubby wetlands, marsh edges, and willow thickets where they hunt insects and raise their young. Like many wetland birds, they depend on healthy habitat, making places like Lye Creek Prairie Burn important for their survival:-)

06/02/2026

This Orchard Oriole lights up the woods every morning with his beautiful song! He's currently transitioning into his adult plumage, but I personally love how he looks! He's stunning!

06/01/2026

Look who I was able to catch a photo of this morning! Yellow-billed Cuckoo! They are such a lovely bird!

06/01/2026

Many of you may not have seen what it looked like before, so I'm happy to share some pictures of the process and what things looked like before the prescribed burn and spraying took place. I am also including some photos of the tile excavation we had done to help keep the water in the field. I'm happy to report that over 150 linear feet of drain tiles were removed! Enjoy

05/31/2026

Back in March of 25, we did our first prescribed burn, aggressively targeting invasive reed canary grass, which covered a large portion of the 23 acres burned. The burn took down all the vegetation and after 6 inches of re-growth we followed up with imazapyr applied with a drone. After a few weeks, everything was gone. Pretty much a clean slate. Through the summer we had some regrowth, good stuff-h**p dogbane, swamp and common milkweed and some native grasses and a TON of giant ragweed, which is not the best but it’s native and supports our wintering birds with food and cover. I was anxious this year to see how the field would look. Well I’m happy to report, it looks better than I could have ever imagined! HUGE stands of common and swamp milkweed, h**p dogbane and the native grasses are thick and lush! I also have several stands of blue vervain. Is this a one and done? No. The aggressive management practice used gave those native plants a chance to fight back, and boy they did! I will always have issues with reed canary grass, I’ve excepted that fact, but now it’s manageable! We plan on more prescribed burns in the future using the same practices, it’s working! I just wanted to update those of you who’ve been following along from the beginning! Thank you for all the support!

Shari

05/31/2026

Look what popped up on the wetland cam this morning! Mama Mallard and her TEN little ducklings! Male Woody in the back.

I also saw a mama Wood duck with ducklings on the back wetland, I had no idea they were there and scared her and the ducklings into hiding. I'll try to get a count if I see her again. Proof these wetlands work! That's why we call it "an oasis for birds"